Toru's Parable
by Blue Teller
Summary: For ten years, she is all he has to keep him sane in this den of evil. She's his support, his invisible shadow... and the only reminder of what his true identity is. Even though Midoriya knew what he had signed for when he impersonated Shigaraki, it surely would have broken him if it wasn't for Hagakure. Time-travel AU, eventual AFO!Deku, Izuku Midoriya & Toru Hagakure's friendship


**Toru's Parable**

 **Part 1 of 3 - the Story of the Symbol**

* * *

"...You wish to learn how to fight heroes?" All For One asks.

"You know how heroes failed to save me, Sensei?" Izuku replies.

"Indeed."

A warm hand softly touches his back. He sighs.

"People can be such hypocrites, Sensei... This whole hero system is so flawed. People believe they're all safe because of a single man's smile. They're so blind. No one in this world is safe. Life isn't a walk in the park, life is a warzone. If you don't fight for yourself, no one else will do it for you."

He pauses for a moment.

"I hate All Might. I hate everything he represents. He's everything that's wrong with modern society. And I want to do everything in my power to change it."

"You wish to get rid of All Might?" All For One says thoughtfully.

"People will never see the truth until the... 'Symbol of Peace' is gone. They will just keep living in their illusions, stupid, lazy and unaware of anything that's going on."

Izuku bows.

"I know I'll never be as powerful as you, Sensei. But maybe, if you give me a quirk, maybe I can use it to defeat All Might someday. It might be a childish dream... but I know the world won't change unless someone shows them just how wrong they are."

All For One grins.

"Oh, Tomura Shigaraki... I believe in you. You are capable of more than you think."

Izuku's heart pounds unevenly. The hand on his back is steady.

* * *

It all started with the fall of the Symbol of Peace.

While All Might had managed to defeat All For One in the battle of Kamino Ward, his death had been captured on live TV and witnessed by people all around the world. In one, terrible instance, the faith in the hero system and people's safety crumbled. And although All For One was put behind bars in the deepest, most guarded prison of Japan immediately afterwards, he was still alive, and his incarceration in exchange for the life of Number One hero had not been worth it.

To their credit, the pro heroes did try their best to contain the chaos and calm the public. But not too long afterwards Japan lost another Number One hero, Endeavor, in battle of High-End. The fight had been on live TV as well, and nothing could stop the flood of fear, doubt and pessimism that spread in the aftermath.

It was only the matter of time after that point before the Great Civil War started.

It lasted for over ten years, heroes and villains battling restlessly against each other, fight after fight. And on top of the two fronts rose two leading figures: Izuku Midoriya and Tomura Shigaraki. The official successors of All Might and All For One.

While Izuku had made a commendable effort to hide the fact that the power he possessed was inherited from All Might, Shigaraki eventually exposed the truth to the world in an attempt to discredit him. _All Might could have been still alive if he hadn't gave up his power because of you_ , Shigaraki taunted in public. _It's all your fault that he's dead. How does that feel, **hero Deku?**_

Fortunately, Izuku's friends had his back and helped him tell his side of the story to the public - of how All Might had been seeking for a successor long before the Kamino Incident; about his injury, his approaching limit, and how the power of One For All had been passed on throughout generations. Izuku Midoriya's tale inspired and rallied the public to his side.

The tables had turned for a while, and the heroes started coming on top again. But then, Shigaraki broke All For One out of prison, and all went to hell.

All For One, with his body broken and unable to fight anymore, was more than willing to pass his powers onto his apprentice, sit back, and watch the world burn.

And oh, did it burn.

Shigaraki went completely insane, and his rampage devastated Japan. Over 30% of the country's population was lost in a single year. It became so bad that even some of the most hardened villains turned to the heroes' side, in hopes that they would help them survive. Most of Deku's friends died heroically in defense of their friends and families, and by the end only five other members of UA's class A survived: Bakugo, Todoroki, Tokoyami, Shoji, and Hagakure.

Bakugo, Todoroki and Tokoyami's immensely powerful quirks helped them win even when they were vastly outnumbered. Shoji's abilities helped him recover from the most grave of injuries. And Hagakure was an impossible target for the villains, thanks to her invisibility.

By the time Deku was 27 the Civil War ended, but the losses were far too great. Since the fall of All Might, over two thirds of pro heroes and half the population in Japan had died. Even Shigaraki eventually had been killed, but not before he passed on All For One onto another member of the League of Villains: Dabi, Todoroki's wayward older brother. Although Dabi was - thank goodness - much tamer in his approach to villainy than Shigaraki, he was just as ruthless and determined to overthrow the hero society as his predecessor.

To their horror, the heroes realized that it was only a matter of time before Dabi succeeded. They lost too many pros in the war, as well as young heroes-in-training that could have replaced them. The numbers of villains had begun growing rapidly once more - once they regrouped and striked again, there would be no stopping them.

Then, a miracle appeared. A four year old child was discovered to possess a true time traveling quirk; the first one of its kind in known history.

By an incredible stroke of luck, the heroes managed to get ahold of the child and his parents before the villains did... but not without a great cost. Katsuki Bakugo heroically gave his life to protect the boy and slow the villains down.

Izuku was devastated. So were the other remaining class A members.

But they had no time to grieve, not when time itself was running out. So Deku, Shouto, Tsukuyomi, Tentacole and Invisible Girl gathered together to create a plan that would change the past, and save the future.

"There are so many factors," Deku said gravely, drawing a time axis on the whiteboard. "We know each of us can't go any further back than the date of our birth, even though we'll be seperate people from our younger selves, and 27 years should be enough, but... There are _so many_ points where even the smallest divergence could change the whole timeline."

"Like the Kamino Ward," said Shoji. "That's where it all started."

"Kamino Ward was the point where everything started go downhill, yes, but it wasn't the start."

"The USJ Incident?" asked Tokoyami.

"Earlier. Five years before any of us went UA."

"All Might's first battle with All For One," Todoroki guessed.

"Yes." Deku circled the year on the axis. "If we could prevent All For One's escape after the battle was over, he would never get to pass his quirk onto Shigaraki."

"But, was Shigaraki already under All For One's care?" Hagakure considered. "Or was is afterwards?"

Midoriya frowned. "It had to be earlier than that. From my understanding All For One practically raised him, and Shigaraki was about twenty years old at USJ. All For One couldn't have had him for less than five years, that wouldn't make sense."

"So when was he taken?"

Deku tapped his chin, then circled two points. "Sometime between the ages of five and twelve, if I were to guess. It's old enough to for a child to remember vividly, and young enough to be easily indoctrinated. It went like this..."

Midoriya circles a couple more points.

"All For One kills Nana Shimura, All Might's predecessor, when All Might's eighteen. Her son is raised in a foster family, then has a son of his own, Tenko Shimura. Then at some point between Tenko's birth and All For One's first battle with All Might, there's an incident in which Shimura's family is killed, and I'm 85% convinced that the whole event and its outcome are instigated by All For One himself."

"To poison the child's heart with darkness," Tokoyami added, nodding.

"That's right. So, All For One takes Tenko, whose name is changed to Tomura Shigaraki, and begins to turn him against hero society."

"You want to save him," Shouto said incredulously. "After everything he had done?"

"It is not a matter of whether he deserved it," Midoriya's expression was hard. "It is the matter of whether it will help us save the world."

"But, if we save Shigaraki from All For One," Hagakure started, uncertainty coloring her voice. "Wouldn't then he just choose someone else to be his successor?"

"That is a good point," said Shoji. "All For One was known for having multiple contingency plans. If we take Shigaraki out of the picture..."

"...He could pick someone else and we wouldn't know who," Midoriya finished, face deeply troubled. "That'd be a problem."

There was a moment of silence.

"We could try to plant a mole in the League," Shouto spoke suddenly. "I could do it. It'd have a plausible reason to hate hero society, right?"

"Shouto..." Hagakure whispered, pained.

"No, that wouldn't be enough," Deku cut in, shaking his head. "Being a member of the League of Villains wouldn't guarantee you'd have access to this sort of information. In fact, I very much doubt it."

"And besides, the League didn't even exist yet when All For One took Shigaraki, did it?" Shoji pointed out.

"No, I suppose not," Shouto sighed, leaning back.

"Perhaps, we could use _Shigaraki_ as our mole?" Tokoyami suddenly proposed. The others blinked at him in surprise.

"How?" asked Hagakure. "Isn't taking him away from All For One the point?"

"But what if we secretly saved his family, and kept him on our side without All For One's knowledge?"

"That's a terrible plan," Todoroki replied with a frown. "Shigaraki wouldn't be able to spy for us. He'd be just a kid at that point. Besides, there's no knowing if he'd really stay on our side or not, even if we saved his family."

Midoriya gasped. They all looked at him.

"You figured something out, Deku?" Hagakure perked up.

"I might have an idea. It's kind of crazy..."

"We always support your brand of crazy, Deku." Todoroki smiled faintly.

"What if... someone on our side... impersonated Shigaraki," Deku breathed out, his eyes shining.

Four jaws drop.

"Deku," Shouto said slowly. "You don't mean..."

"If one of us took Shigaraki's place..." Shoji took over. "Then All For One's successor..."

"...would be one of **us** ," Tokoyami finished, eyes wide. "A _hero_ with All For One's power?!"

"Could it really work though?" Hagakure asked in disbelief. "I mean... pretending to be Shigaraki..."

"Pretending to be a _villain_ ," Shoji added. "Would we really be able to pull that off? I mean, it's _All For One_ we're talking about."

"Even All For One needs to know someone first to spot their tells," Deku argues. "If I took Shigaraki's spot from the very start-"

"Wait, who says it's going to be **you** , Midoriya!" Todoroki interrupted.

"Shouto. Logically, I'm the only possible choice."

" _Why?!_ "

"Your quirk is a very obvious combination of quirks neither of Tenko Shimura's parents possessed. Same goes for Tentacole and Tsukuyomi. And Invisible Girl's quirk is too versitale and precious for us to waste on such an assignment."

Shouto looked very displeased. Izuku couldn't blame him. "What about your age? How will you get around that?"

"Recovery Girl told me once she had an acquaintance with an age-regressing quirk. Even if it only changes the outwards appearance of a person and not the state of their inner organs - thus not being absolute - it should stick permanently without need of re-application, so-"

"What about your face? You don't resemble Shigaraki at all. And what about your quirk?" Todoroki interrupted. "You think All For One wouldn't recognize One For All? What if he sees through your disguise?"

"There's no need for me to look _exactly_ like Shigaraki... Although I'll probably have get plastic surgery or something so I don't resemble my younger self too much - hopefully Recovery Girl could help with that too...? Taking Shigaraki's identity should be enough though, if we do it before All For One comes for him. We've already been planning on asking Principal Nezu to help us with forging records. Changing details like Tenko Shimura's face and him being quirkless shouldn't be too difficult."

"Quirkless?"

"You know I used to be quirkless, right? I can fake that easily, One For All is not a quirk that can be sensed or taken by All For One. Another reason I'm the best candidate to do it."

Shouto did not seem happy in the slightest, but it was apparent he saw Midoriya's point, even if he didn't like it.

"Tenko and his family will go into witness protection, replacing people on the scene with myself and two other pro heroes, preferably Underground, minimizing the chances of All For One discovering the ruse."

Shouto grabbed the bridge of his nose. "You already have candidates in mind, don't you."

"Several, yes. We need to fake the deaths of two people, without anyone _actually_ dying."

"Deku, you do realize that if you pose as Shigaraki..."

Deku looked him into eye, serious. "I know. I'll be forced to do many terrible things. I won't be able to get away with fake crimes every time." He took a deep breath. "But what if the villain persona I create for myself has a strict honor code... a bit like Stain's...?"

"Like killing 'fake' heroes only?!"

"No, not like that exactly..." Izuku bit his lip. "There are psychotic villains out there who have a no-killing rule. Torture, manipulation, hostages - but no murder. I could act like a wanna-be-saviour of the world, claiming that heroes are empty celebrities who preach weak, unrealistic ideals..."

"Deku," Tokoyami said, concerned. "Think this through. Would you be really able to do this? Is it even necessary? We could find another way."

"What another way?" the Number One hero asked with a stubborn expression. "Hoping we'll be able to finish off All For One during - or after - his first battle against All Might? All Might had been 100% sure he killed him - he had **blown his head off**. Even if we burn his body to ashes and throw them into the sea, do we really have a guarantee he won't find a way regenerate?!"

The other four pros cringed. As much as they didn't want to admit it, Deku was right. Even with the knowledge of what was to come, they would only have so much power in the past. All For One had been like an unbeatable god, before All Might injured him. They couldn't risk a direct confrontation - losing against him would cause all of their efforts to be in vain.

"Deku," Invisible Girl spoke suddenly, sounding determined. They all turned to her. Her gloves were clenched tightly. "I'm going with you on this mission."

Midoriya blinked in surprise. "What? Why?"

"You would be there all alone," she said deliberately. "For years. Surrounded by villains. Pretending to be Shigaraki."

Izuku swallowed. "Yeah."

"You'll need support, Deku, you know you will."

"But-"

"Don't start going on again about how precious my quirk is, okay?! I can be there with you, undetected, in case something goes wrong. We would be able to take you out of there and form a new plan."

He breathed out, slowly. "Toru..."

"You're not changing my mind, Izuku. If you're really doing this, then I'm going with you. Someone needs to watch your back."

"I second that," said Shouto, standing up and raising an arm above his head. "Everyone for Invisible Girl going with Deku, raise your hands."

Four more hands were raised.

"Sorry, Deku, you've been outvoted."

"That's cheating!" Midoriya exclaimed, pointing at Shoji's triple hands.

"Still counts," Tentacole was certainly smirking under his mask, he could hear it in his voice.

"Yeah, we're not going to let you do this all on your own, you know." Hagakure put her hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to be there with you whether you like it or not.

And Izuku, despite his initial protest, could see their point. It was not going to be easy, pretending to be Shigaraki. In fact, we was pretty certain it was going to be hell.

(It would be so much worse than hell. So, so much worse. And he would everyday thank heavens for Hagakure, when the time came.)

* * *

They did not just decide to time travel back, with only just one plan in their sleeves. They still strategized, analyzed, and plotted contingency plans after contingency plans for two more weeks afterwards. They spared no effort and dug up every piece of information that could prove to be even the slightest bit relevant to their mission.

Finally, they were ready. The moment they appeared 27 years in their past - the year they were all born - they immediately contacted All Might, Principal Nezu, Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye. The heroes took the news that they were time travelers fairly well, all things considered. Once Deku proved to them that he was the ninth One For All holder - which was rather easy - convincing them of their identities as future pro heroes and allies went rather smoothly.

Explaining their plans to them went... less smoothly.

Gran Torino and Sir Nighteye frankly told Deku he was out of his mind. All Might seemed extremely reluctant, even though the thought of preventing his beloved master's grandchild from becoming a terrible villain was a very tempting idea. Nezu on the other hand, calmly listened to the plan, took notes, and then approved without hesitation.

There was a very loud and long discussion afterwards. At some point, All Might asked Deku if they could leave and speak in private. Deku agreed.

The moment they were alone, Izuku threw himself at his mentor and wept.

If All Might ever had doubts if this young man was his future successor, that moment wiped them clean. Apparently his successor was also a crybaby. Toshinori was surprisingly okay with that.

After much persuasion, Gran Torino agreed to help with finding the Shimura family and convincing them to go into witness protection. Meanwhile all the time travelers - excluding Izuku - had to receive new identities and Underground hero permits. They couldn't become known heroes, or someone else would eventually connect them with their younger selves when they went to UA; it could cause too much changes to the current timeline, and there was much to be done in the shadows to prevent the Civil War becoming a reality once more.

Recovery Girl helped with the plastic surgery. Midoriya didn't look a lot different afterwards - most it was just was his jaw and nose being a different shape - but it was enough to discard any further resemblance between him and his younger self as coincidence. Luckily, the fact that Deku was "rather plain-looking" in the first place turned out to be quite helpful in these circumstances. Never before had Deku been glad his face is so boring.

The rest of the process when without a hitch, even hiring two Underground heroes to pretend to be the Shimura's came easier than expected. The real Shimura family with their six-year-old son all changed their names and relocated to Switzerland, far away from All For One's reach. (Izuku got to meet them once, before they left. They weren't told the truth about the situation, just that they were in danger and needed to go into hiding. Tenko... was a surprisingly likable kid. It was strangely disturbing.) All Might was warned about his future battle against All For One and what to avoid - if all went well, perhaps Izuku's time pretending to be Shigaraki would be cut short. The stage was set, de-aged Midoriya adapted the role of a young, quirkless child named Tenko Shimura, Hagakure invisibly shadowing him every day. And they waited.

Three years passed, things progressing slowly but surely. Deku was inevitably getting frustrated with sitting around idly waiting for something to happen - but he and Invisible Girl persevered. One of the principles of being a hero was being patient, their careers as heroes had taught them that much. So they waited. And waited.

Yet for all their anticipation, they did not see it coming when All For One struck.

* * *

Izuku laid on the ground, blood and grime covering his face. His whole body ached from bruises and dehydration. The only comfort was the familiar warmth of a hand resting on his shoulder.

"It's alright Izuku," Hagakure whispered nearly inaudibly. "Just wait a little longer. It's going to be over soon, I promise."

His eyes watched the distant figures of people passing by, barely sparing him a glance.

"Don't mind that," they whispered as if he couldn't hear them. "Some hero would take care of it soon."

And for the life for him, he could not understand. He was injured, he was obviously suffering, and for all they knew he was just a child. If they were so certain a hero would help him, why didn't they at least call for someone? Why did they not even bother to check if he was going to live?

Was it All For One's doing, somehow? Or, were people really just this callous? For the first time, he thought that perhaps he could empathize with Shigaraki.

Because his wounds weren't pretend. The hunger and thirst weren't pretend. The feeling of helplessness wasn't pretend. They were all very much real.

His life wasn't in danger, not with Toru watching over him. But for a quirkless child in his situation, it certainly would have been. And that thought on its own made him feel small and alone in a way he hadn't in a really long time... ever since All Might told him he could be a hero, in fact.

He was so glad Invisible Girl had been able to check if the others were okay. His "parents" had survived, however they both were injured, one of them even severely. If they hadn't been trained pros, they would have been dead for sure. Hagakure had been able to escort them to safety and replace them with previously prepared fake bodies, just to be sure All For One wouldn't suspect foul play.

He had lived with them for over three years. When he had cried for them, Izuku hadn't been acting at all. And not just because being in a child's body affected him - he'd gotten used to it by now. They were not his parents, but they were his friends - he'd come to respect and care for them dearly. He was going to miss them, probably almost as much as he missed his friends and All Might.

At least, Hagakure was still here.

"Toru," he whispered, barely moving his lips so no one else but her would hear. "Thank you."

A hand squeezed his shoulder.

"No one came to save you, huh?"

Izuku's heart pounded in his chest as a scarily familiar voice spoke to him from the shadows.

Slowly, footsteps resounded as a figure slowly approached. Izuku stared at the ground, frozen.

"It must have been hard, huh, Tenko Shimura?"

Izuku knew he was supposed to be only a nine-year-old, but... Had Shigaraki never really wondered how All For One knew his name? Although to be fair, considering the circumstances, Izuku probably wouldn't have paid much attention to it either. Not when someone finally was coming to help. He would have been overjoyed at the long-awaited appearance of a saviour, too - if it wasn't the man who starred in most of his nightmares.

"Heroes... Eventually, the heroes will... Everyone thought that and pretended not to see you, huh?"

Izuku shakily nodded. As twisted as it was, he could not deny that.

"Don't worry, child. You did nothing wrong."

The voice was familiar, so familiar it terrified him to his bones, but the tone was all wrong. Soft. Kind. Everything that All For One wasn't.

Carefully, Izuku lifted his head, letting his true fear shine in his eyes. Any child would have been terrified in this situation. But there was also hope, hope that his performance would be bought by the monster in front of him - which would be no doubt interpreted as hope for salvation.

This was the key to his performance as Shigaraki. He could not lie to All For One; not directly at least. Instead, he would let his emotions lie for him. He decided which of them to show and how much, but they were all real; just like his condition and helplessness were.

"It's fine. I'm here for you." All For One was crouching in front of him, hand reached out in a wordless offer.

Izuku took a shaky breath, then released it. An invisible hand pressed softly against his back, encouraging.

He took All For One's hand.

* * *

Call him crazy... but All For One was surprisingly competent as a father figure.

In fact, so much that it scared Izuku more than if he were acting like he did in the future - soulless, destructive monster. Because if he wasn't aware exactly what that man had been capable of, he never would have guessed it.

All For One was infinitely gentle and patient with him. When Izuku was sad, he comforted him. When he was bored, he got him games to play. When he asked questions, he answered them - even if he didn't dive much into details.

Even the name change, which Izuku had been nervously anticipating, did not come forcefully, but as an friendly offer.

"Now that you're settled here, do you want to keep your old name, or would you like a new one?" All For One said one day.

Izuku had no idea whether the name 'Tomura Shigaraki' came from All For One, or if Shigaraki had come up with it himself. So he responded:

"I think... I would like a new name," he said carefully, his eyes shyly on the floor. Shyness was a good way to cover up just much All For One frightened him. Until he got used to the man's presence - which he doubted would be soon - timid child act it was. "But, maybe something that isn't too different? W-would that be okay? I'm afraid I won't be able to remember it otherwise."

"There's no reason to be afraid. I'm sure you'll get used to your new name soon. Hm... How about 'Tomura Shigaraki'?" All For One asked, putting his arm on his shoulder.

Izuku tensed up. He couldn't help it. The man's touch was so much different than Toru's warm comfort. Even with all of his pretended gentleness, All For One could not cover up how cold and stiff his hand was - how unused to showing affection.

Thankfully All For One showed no suspicious of this reaction. It wasn't even the first time Izuku had acted uncomfortable in his presence. After all, he was supposedly just a young, shy child, still getting used to his new environment.

"I... I'd like that," Izuku tried to smile, putting all of his relief that he'd given the right answer into it. "Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Sensei, my boy. 'Sir' is too formal."

"Yes, Sensei."

All For One left the room. Izuku felt familiar warmth his back.

"Good job, Izuku," Toru whispered against his ear in the softest possible voice. They were always extra careful when All For One was around - you never knew what kind of super-sensory quirks he might be using. "You're doing great."

Izuku leaned against her.

"Thanks, Toru," he whispered back, this time sincerely.

* * *

It wasn't much later that Izuku was introduced to Kurogiri.

"Whoah! You have a warping quirk? That is so cool!" Izuku gushed, letting his geekiness shine through.

One of the things Izuku kept showing from his 'real' personality was his fascination and love for quirks. However, he had made sure not to analyze them yet, or write any notes. There was plenty of time to 'develop' such skills. If he began too early, All For One might start thinking he's a prodigy, and that would not be beneficial for Izuku's plans. Shigaraki hardly had been a strategist by the time of the USJ Incident, if Izuku were to act ahead of him, there might be a catastrophic change of plans. Speeding things up was the opposite of what he needed to achieve.

"Thank you, master Shigaraki," Kurogiri answered professionally, but Izuku could definitely hear him smile behind all of that fog.

Kurogiri had never scared him as much as Shigaraki or All For One did. Maybe because, despite his abilities and frightening power to completely turn the battle around in the villains' favor, he wasn't the one actively hurting people in battle. He was ruthless, true, Izuku had heard him threatening people countless times... but it was like comparing a hissy kitten to a hungry panther; he was the like a textbook definition of 'the lesser of two evils', and if showing open admiration and comfort around Kurogiri meant less time spent with All For One - well.

No one said that Izuku couldn't be manipulative if he wanted to.

From that moment on, Kurogiri became responsible for his education, meals, clothing, healthcare, entertainment, comfort and general well-being - basically a glorified babysitter.

Izuku felt strange satisfaction from that fact. He'd been proven right - Kurogiri really HAD always been Shigaraki's babysitter! It explained so much.

Although he was determined to act comfortable and trusting around the fog villain, he made sure to often pester him with questions about Sensei, as if he missed him when he wasn't around. He might come across as clingy, but... that's was the point, honestly.

But also, he used the opportunity of having someone willing to listen to his every command - to establish certain boundaries of his 'character'. It was imperative of Toru's safety.

"Kurogiri," Izuku said one time when Kurogiri stood dangerously close to his back. "Can you not do that, please?"

"Do what, master Shigaraki?"

"Stand so close to me. Well," Izuku cringed intentionally. "So close to my back, I mean."

Carefully, Kurogiri stepped away and then in front of him. "Is that better, master Shigaraki?"

Izuku sighed with relief. "Yes, thank you."

Politeness was another trait he purposefully kept. For one thing, he was naturally polite, so even if he pretended not to be he'd be in constant danger of breaking character. He needed to limit the number of things he needed to watch out for in his behaviour, or unrepairable mistakes were bound to happen. Secondly, it fit with the 'sophisticated honor-bound villain persona' he was planning on using in the future. Even All For One had manners... in a manner of speaking.

"I don't like people standing behind me," he told Kurogiri. It was 100% true, for everyone here - except for Hagakure. "Or creeping up behind me." Also true. No one liked to be jumped from behind. "So, um, if you don't mind..."

"Of course, master Shigaraki, it is no trouble."

"Please, call me Tomura, Kurogiri. We are friends, aren't we?" Izuku acted as if the words didn't taste like ash on his tongue.

"Of course, master Tomura," Kurogiri answered with humor.

A warm hand pressed against Izuku's back. By now he recognized it as: _Good job, Izuku._

* * *

Deku truly, deeply admired Invisible Girl's ability to stay completely silent.

It wasn't anything new. That was what her quirk was all about, after all - being unnoticed. However, what was different now was how LONG Hagakure had to stay silent.

Because Izuku had to spend most of his day with Kurogiri. And when he did, Hagakure always had to be completely silent. Things were going great so far with keeping Toru's presence secret - no one suspected a thing, even when Izuku asked for people to never approach him from behind. Kurogiri probably ascribed it to some sort of phobia.

But the fact that she had to keep silent all the time, or both of them could get killed. That was... hardcore, to say the least. How could she stand it? She had such a bubbly, outgoing personality. Wasn't it hurting her to be constantly quiet?

One evening, Izuku asked her.

"Toru, is it hurting you? Being silent?" he whispered in the direction of a barely visible dent in the mattress.

One would think it might be awkward, platonically sharing a bed with a woman every night - even though with how huge his bed was, where they weren't forced to be pressed against one another (thank goodness All For One was spoiling him, otherwise they might have had a problem). But there was something about being in constant danger together, in a den of lions, that made people forget about embarrassment.

Izuku and Toru had never shared a romantic relationship, and they knew they never would. Both of them lost their partners in the Civil War; Hagakure lost Ojiro, and Midoriya lost Uraraka. What they had was something much less complicated and more durable than that: trust.

They were friends who had been to hell together and back. They'd fought together, they'd bled together, and they'd grieved together. Heck, they even went back in time together, then they spent three years living together in the same house. Toru was practically Izuku's sister by now. A little more proximity was the last of their worries.

"...What do you mean, Izuku?"

"I mean, I know how you love to talk. And laugh... It must be so hard for you, being silent all the time."

There was some quiet shuffling for a moment.

"Izuku."

"Yeah?"

"Does it hurt you being around All For One?"

Izuku's lips clicked shut in surprise.

"Does it hurt you smiling at Kurogiri like he isn't one of our mortal enemies?" Toru continued in the same serious whisper.

He opened his mouth uselessly, then closed it again.

"I watch you, Izuku. I'm watching you all day. And I honestly think, I got the much better deal than you did."

"...You really don't regret it? Coming here with me?" he couldn't help but ask.

Warm fingers gently touched his.

"Not for a second, Deku."

They stayed silent together until they fell asleep.

* * *

Covering up Hagakure's constant presence was the matter of paranoid cautiousness, precision and teamwork. They went to shower one after another without turning off the water, so no one listening could suspect two people using it - same with bathroom breaks. Izuku methodically collected snacks and leftovers as if he were constantly hungry - which wouldn't be out of place for a growing boy. They turned on music and upped the volume whenever Izuku and Toru wanted to have longer conversations, so they wouldn't be caught whispering around the corners.

Izuku also established certain 'weird behaviours' as his norm, such as never standing too close to the walls - so that the Invisible Girl could stand behind him - and severe dislike for cold - because she couldn't wear a sweater and getting a cold could be lethal for her, if she was ever caught sneezing.

He also made it clear he disliked being touched, period. It fit his character, and people keeping their distance significantly decreased the odds of someone bumping into Toru.

It was still crazy, what they were doing, and they both knew that. But there was no going back.

They were on their own.

* * *

All For One did not tell Izuku about his quirk at first. He revealed it gradually, and gave hints, as if hoping he was going to figure it out by himself.

"I met a woman with a very interesting quirk yesterday. I can't wait to see it action," said Sensei once.

"Transformation quirks are such a pain. So uncomfortable," he told Izuku another time.

"It's such a shame regeneration quirks are so rare. I've been looking for some recently but no progress," he mentioned in response to a question of how his day went.

And finally:

"Would you like to have a quirk, Tomura?"

Izuku felt like his heart was trying to escape through his throat.

"Huh?" he couldn't help but gape.

This was highly unexpected but... he _was_ pretending to be quirkless, wasn't he? To think of it, it wouldn't have made sense for All For One to **not** give him a quirk at some point - if 'Shigaraki' found out one day that Sensei could have given him a quirk all along and didn't, he would have lost trust in him. It was in All For One's best interest to 'generously' offer his apprentice a quirk.

But, what if Izuku was given some sort of quirk that allowed All For One to spy on him? What if he discovered Toru?

Swallowing nervously, Izuku replied:

"I, of course I would? But it's not possible, is it Sensei? The doctor said I have a joint in my pinkie toe. I'm quirkless."

"But, what if I told you I have the power to give you a quirk?"

Izuku tried to think of what an adoring student of his saviour would have done in his position. He thought of his first meeting with All Might.

"W-whaaaat?!" he gasped, flailing. He was still feeling shocked at this development so it came surprisingly easy. "T-that...! Sensei, don't tell me your quirk is-?!"

"What do you think my quirk is?"

"...Can you really do that, Sensei?" he whispered. "Can you give people quirks?"

All For One nodded. "Yes, I can take them as well."

"That... that is so amazing." And it was, from the objective point of view. If this power was in the hands of a hero, the good it could do would have been limitless.

"Does that not frighten you?"

That... was an interesting question, and a bit out of place. Why would All For One care whether his quirk scared him or not? Unless...

Unless Izuku was being tested. He wasn't All For One's successor yet - only a potential candidate, chosen to spite All Might. If he answered in any way that implied he could one day favor heroes' point of view instead of villains', he probably could kiss his chances goodbye right then and there.

"Why would it?" Izuku answered, calculating. "Your quirk is incredible, Sensei! And I don't have a quirk you could take away from me, anyway."

All For One chuckled. Chuckled. It was eery.

"What kind of quirk would you like?"

Izuku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, what quirks could you give me, Sensei? I don't want to get too greedy. You've already done so much for me."

"You're never asking too much, Tomura Shigaraki. You are many things, but greedy is certainly not one of them."

Izuku wondered if it was a good thing in All For One's eyes. Probably not. Should he act more greedy from now on? No, that would be seen of character.

"Unfortunately," All For One continued, "I cannot give you more than one quirk at a time, otherwise it might hurt you."

It would certainly hurt him - that's how Nomu were created. Izuku would have been worried, already in possession of a quirk, but luckily One For All could coexist safely with other quirks, such was its nature.

"I understand, Sensei."

They discussed the quirks All For One could potentially give him. And there were a lot. Izuku felt a bit sick and faint when he tried to imagine just how many people All For One had to kill to have THAT many quirks to spare. And that was certainly only a fragment of the list.

But... what would a child Shigaraki think of this?

"Whoa, Sensei. You must have defeated a lot of people to have this many quirks, right?" Izuku said with as much admiration as he could muster - admiration for the people who sacrificed themselves to fight this monster.

"Defeated?" Sensei repeated.

"Yeah, I mean, they were your enemies, right?" he said, trying to use child-logic. Children thought of fighting as something cool and exciting - they know about the gruesome reality of death. "Did you fight any heroes, Sensei?"

All For One paused for barely a second, but Izuku could tell what he was thinking. A child showing no disgust or disturbance towards a thought of fighting against heroes. It was practically a gift-wrapped invitation to begin indoctrinating Izuku.

"Indeed I did," he confirmed. "There were all different. Some strong ones, some weak ones."

"What was the strongest hero you ever defeated?" Izuku channeled all of his childhood excitement related to quirks and hero fights he has in store. The same enthusiasm that had him chase public villain appearances with a notebook when he was young.

And All For One was told him a couple of stories. They were obviously highly censored and lacking in context - like the fact that these people were probably like cornered animals from the beginning of each fight, fighting helplessly to defend their lives - but they sound really impressive. Not to mention there was a lot of useful date hidden there, about All For One's techniques.

"Would you mind if I kept notes?" Izuku asked eventually.

"Of course not. What would you like to write down?"

"Everything!" Izuku replies. "Your stories are amazing, Sensei. There is so much I could learn from them."

"...You wish to learn how to fight heroes?"

Izuku had been waiting for that question. Time to see if his 'villain motivation' would hold together. "You know how heroes failed to save me, Sensei?"

"Indeed." All For One's voice was deeply sympathetic. It sounded so convincing for a second Izuku wondered if it was really an act.

No, it was an act - he had to remember it.

Toru's hand was on his back, as if she sensed his inner turmoil. He sighed.

"People can be such hypocrites, Sensei," he said deliberately. "This whole hero system is so flawed. People believe they're all safe because of a single man's smile." His fists clenched. "They're so blind. No one in this world is safe. Life isn't a walk in the park, life is a warzone. If you don't fight for yourself, no one else will do it for you."

Those were, at worst, half-truths and misdirections. Now, it was time to really lie. Yes, for the first and hopefully the last time, he was going to lie directly to All For One's face. He had to at least once, so all of his future statements could be supported by this stated 'conviction'.

"I hate All Might." _I hate **you**._ "I hate everything he represents." _I hate everything **you** represent._ "He's everything that's wrong with modern society." _**You** are what's wrong with our society._ "And I want to do everything in my power to change it."

It seemed to be working, as All For One seemed intrigued. "You wish to get rid of All Might?"

"People will never see the truth until the..." Izuku spitted the next words with audible disgust: "'Symbol of Peace' is gone. They will just keep living in their illusions, stupid, lazy and unaware of anything that's going on." Time to grovel for a bit. He bowed deeply. "I know I never will be as powerful as you, Sensei. But maybe, if you give me a quirk, maybe I can use it to defeat All Might someday. It might be a childish dream... but I know the world won't change unless someone shows them just how wrong they are."

And All For One grinned. It's the first time he showed his true grin - the cold, merciless smile that sent a shiver down Izuku's spine.

"Oh, Tomura Shigaraki... I believe in you. You are capable of more than you think."

His heart pounded unevenly. Toru's hand behind him was steady.

* * *

In the end, the power Izuku chose for himself was nothing like the other Shigaraki had.

"'Discourage'? Are you certain?" All For One did not sound surprised despite the question. "There are so many more powerful quirks to choose from."

Discourage was a quirk that allowed the user to elicit visceral fear and despair in others through eye contact. Aside from being fitting for Izuku's 'villain personna', it was also a quirk that did no physical damage - limiting the risk of hurting others on accident, like Disintegration would have been prone to.

"Yes, but flashy quirks is exactly what people watch out for, Sensei," Izuku explains. "Just defeating All Might in combat wouldn't be enough. A hero is not defeated while they still have that foolish smile on smile face. With Discourage, I can crush what makes heroes so overconfident in the first place - their blind conviction in victory."

"You are a wise child, Tomura. Very well then, if that is your wish."

Training with Discourage was... discouraging, to say the least. Not because it was difficult - oh, no. Izuku mastered the quirk almost immediately; it was a breeze compared to what his One For All training had consisted of.

The problem was that All For One started ordering Kurogiri to bring Izuku... 'material' to train with.

The first time it happened, Izuku was confused. "Why is there a person tied up to the chair, Sensei?"

"Why, because this is an excellent opportunity for you, my apprentice," All For One said, his voice relaxed and friendly. "You see, this woman is a police detective with a very interesting quirk - it allows her to track people through incredible distances."

The woman's face paled drastically when she heard the word 'apprentice'. She started at Izuku with fear and disbelief.

"I was going to just take her quirk and dispose of her, but I found she is quite... spirited."

Toru's hand on his shoulder tensed. They both had known it would be coming up sooner or later... they just hadn't expected it to be so soon.

Izuku forced himself to relax. He let his face become blank. "Would you like me to break her for you, Sensei?" he asked, already well aware of the answer to the question.

"Only if you feel up for it."

He didn't. Deku's very soul longed to save her. Her eyes screamed for help. But he wasn't a hero right now... he was a villain-in-training. One step out of line, one moment of hesitation, and he could be disposed of, too. Then someone else would become Shigaraki, commit the atrocities Sensei asked for, and eventually inherit All For One. Everything would have been for nothing.

There was no running from this. He couldn't save this woman. Perhaps Toru could try to sneak her out of here, but if they were caught both then women would lose their lives. He had no options.

It hurt like a dagger in his chest, but he had to.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Sensei." Izuku bowed to hide his pained expression.

Slowly, he got up and walked towards the terrified woman. Toru's hand did not leave him for a second. She was still there, supporting him, despite knowing what he was about to do.

"What is your name?" he asks conversationally.

He needed to know the name of the first person he was forced to hurt in the name of saving the world. Anything less would have been soulless. He could never let himself forget that people were not nameless objects. That they mattered.

She tightened her lips.

"Ah, you don't know what my quirk is so you're remaining silent," Izuku realized. She was smart. "Don't worry, my quirk has nothing to do with speech. And certainly I'm not a liar." The most ironic lie for someone in his position to tell.

She still said nothing.

"Careful now, you wouldn't want to make me mad, would you?" Izuku said, acting from the script of most interrogations; when carrots do not work, go for the stick. "Your name is inconsequential. I'm just curious. But if you keep refusing me, well. Things might get painful, and not just for you."

Her fear intensified. Izuku let his quirk slowly trickle in.

"You have a family, don't you?" he crept closer, staring her straight in the eyes. Now that he caught her in Discourage, she wasn't be able to look away, and she wouldn't even realize it. "And friends. Coworkers. Your boss. Wouldn't want something to happen to them, right?"

"I..." she croaked out.

"You believe in heroes, huh? You think someone is coming to save you?" Their faces were inches apart. "Look around you. There are no heroes here. No one is going to save you. It is just, you, me, and my Sensei."

He saw tremors starting to go through her. The sick feeling in his chest intensified. How could he be doing this to another person?

"I will have to hurt you if you don't answer me," he said it like a threat, but secretly begged for her to understand. It was just her name, he wasn't asking her to betray anyone she loved. Hopefully All For One won't ask him to interrogate her further, this was supposedly just an exercise, right? "Come now. Tell me your name."

"Maboroshi... Yume Maboroshi," she whispered, her voice shaking.

"Maboroshi. Thank you." He forced himself to feel proud; proud that he had been able to go through this without giving himself away. With that pride glued onto his face, as fragile as it was, he turned to All For One. "Was that satisfactory, Sensei?"

All For One walked towards him and put his cold hand on his shoulder. "That was some excellent work, Tomura."

Two hands rested on his opposite shoulders, but the warm hand was the one that gave him the strength to smile.

* * *

"I'm a monster, Toru," Izuku whispered that night when they went to sleep.

"You had no choice, Izuku..." Hagakure whispered, sadly.

"I hurt her. I made Maboroshi suffer."

"Is that why you asked about her name? To have something to remember her by?"

He didn't answer.

"Oh, Izuku..."

"Toru? If you changed your mind-"

"I am not leaving you."

"But-"

"We both knew what we were signing up for. I'm not even the one who has to... go against my own nature for the mission. I will be fine."

"You should leave while you still can."

"You cannot decide for me. It's my choice to stay, and I made up my mind years ago. Deal with it, Deku."

Izuku heart ached at the sound of his hero name. With sudden determination, he got up.

"Where are you going?"

He sat by his desked, turned on the lamp and opened an empty notebook. On the first page he wrote down the date and name 'Yume Maboroshi' next to it.

"I need to record them, before I forget. Someday, if I make it... I'm going to find her family and apologize."

There was a moment of silence. Then, two arms were carefully embracing him from behind. Izuku sighed and closed his eyes.

"You are such an amazing person, Deku. It hurts me to see you suffer so much."

He laughed hoarsely. "What are you talking about? She was the one who suffered, not me."

"But you are suffering, Izuku. I can tell. I watch you even when All For One looks away."

Tears trickled down his cheeks. He finally broke down and wept helplessly.

"Toru..."

"Sh, shhh, Izuku. It's alright. It'll be alright."

I was a long time before they went back to sleep.

* * *

It got easier with time. Somehow, it made it worse. He was afraid that someday, he would start enjoying it. Toru promised him he wouldn't.

He had to believe her. Otherwise, he would have no faith left in anything.

* * *

Kurogiri was the one who told him.

"I have grave news, master Tomura. Your Sensei... has fought All Might today."

Izuku's heart nearly stopped.

"Is he okay?!" he burst out, thinking about All Might - luckily, Kurogiri did not catch that.

He'd had no idea that it would happen today, he thought it would be a couple more months at least!

"Sensei... will recover. However, he's sustained serious injuries, some of which are likely to be permanent."

There went any hope for Izuku that he wouldn't have to be Shigaraki for at least five more years. Summoning all of his pain, anger and disappointment about his situation, he gritted out:

"What about All Might? Is he dead?"

"Unfortunately not. Sensei managed to injure him, but Recovery Girl will probably heal him with no lasting damage."

That... was a difference.

Scratch that, it was a **huge** difference. All Might did not get a hole in his stomach? That changed everything! It meant that the next time All For One and All Might fought against one another, Sensei would certainly lose!

But Izuku couldn't show relief. He kept his expression blank, making his best effort to appear too shock to react.

"Do you need to sit down?"

Izuku ignored him. He thought of all the people he'd tortured in All For One's name. He thought about his guilt, about Toru being trapped here with him. He thought about Kacchan's death. He thought about Nomus and USJ, and all the things he had yet to go through before his mission was over.

He let every negative emotion fill his body and take over.

" **DAMN HIM!** " he screamed, kicking the nearest table so hard it broke. " **DAMN HIM TO HELL!** "

He screamed, and yelled, and let all long-kept emotions run free in a spectacular tantrum unlike any he ever had before, while Kurogiri stood by and watched.

" **AN INJURY ISN'T ENOUGH!** " There were tears streaming down his face. " **HE SHOULD BE DEAD!** " There was real passion behind his words. Normally Izuku wouldn't wish death upon anyone, even his greatest enemies - even Shigaraki. But All For One was a special exception in his heart.

Ever since All For One gave him Discourage, he'd been pushing him further and further. Izuku knew it wouldn't be long before he would be asked to kill someone. (He hoped he could come up with a good excuse by that time. He hoped 'a code of honor' would be enough.)

And while at first he had feared that he would grow attached to the supervillain, his feelings of hatred grew, replacing his fear. He hated All For One, he hated him so much. He wanted him to **burn**.

Those feelings were dangerous. They were not the thoughts of a hero.

...These were the thoughts of a villain.

* * *

Toru left him for the first time in six years - to deliver a message to All Might and the other heroes.

"We don't know how much things will change after this. We don't know if USJ will happen or not. I'm guessing All For One will have me meet All Might at some point, to 'empower my hatred'," Izuku had told her. "Unfortunately we can't pass information about All For One's location, since Kurogiri won't tell me. But the fact that he survived and escaped, despite the foreknowledge we gave the pros, means they might not be aware of his survival this time around."

"Someone must have helped All For One," Hagakure had added. "If only we knew who."

"It must have been a doctor, or someone with a powerful healing quirk - otherwise they wouldn't be able to fix him after All Might's blow."

"They might find something."

"Yeah. Be careful, alright, Toru?"

"Of course. I'll be back before you know it." She had kissed his cheek. "Take care."

Izuku had no idea how much he'd come to depend on Toru's presence until she was gone.

The next week, he was a wreck. Even Kurogiri noticed it, despite his best efforts. He thought Izuku was going through 'a phase'. Luckily he was supposedly fifteen so it wasn't that out of place for a teen. But the fact that it was _noticed_... This was bad. This was really, really back.

How could he had let this happen? Becoming so dependant on another person that he couldn't function like a normal human without them?

When Toru came back, she admitted to having the same problem.

"I couldn't stop worrying about you even for a minute," she confessed. "I felt like I was constantly on edge of a mental breakdown. This isn't healthy."

"'Healthy' should be the least of our worries," Izuku muttered to himself angrily, disappointed in himself.

"But it's true, Izuku. We can't go on like this. We need a break."

He looked in her direction incredulously. "You have got to be kidding."

"I'm serious, Izuku. Even Nezu and All Might told me I needed a break."

"You could have had one... I mean, I would have survived-"

"But I wouldn't!" she burst out. They both tensed up, realizing they were speaking too loudly. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice. "Izuku, we have to. We still have time before the creation of the League and at least several more years to go before All For One passes his quirk onto you. We NEED a vacation, otherwise we're going to burn out before we get there. Or become insane."

"How, though?" Izuku asked desperately.

"Ask Kurogiri!"

"Ha! No way Kurogiri's going to let me have a _**vacation**_. He's a slave-driver!"

"He'll say yes, he has a soft spot for you!"

"How would you know?!"

"'Oh, master Tomura, whatever you wish, young master, would you like another pancake, master Tomura' - sounds familiar?"

"...Very funny."

"I'm dead serious, Izuku. Tell him you need a vacation - a private vacation. He'll let you, I'm sure of it."

Izuku rubbed his head, unable to believe he was actually considering this. "How do we know he won't spy on us anyway?"

"We don't, but why would he? He's not suspicious of you, he never was. You've never tried to run away. If you tell them from the start where we're going and when we're coming back, they won't have a reason to spy, right?"

It was crazy. It was exactly what Izuku needed.

He agreed.

* * *

Izuku had never done anything to deserve someone like Toru in his life. Not a thing.

(People could argue that becoming a Number One hero in the future and trying to save the world would call for at least a little bit of good karma in his life... But what did they know.)

Taking a vacation and getting away from Kurogiri and All For One's influence was like getting spring water after spending a decade on a desert. Not only were got funds to stay at a very nice resort near the beach - Hagakure could actually EXIST here.

Watching her talk and laugh with people at the beach, enjoying social interaction again without constant fear of getting killed... it was something so invariably precious it made his heart hurt.

For the first time in years, Izuku felt... calm. Happy.

It only got better when he saw three faces he had feared to never see again.

"Shouto! Mezo! Fumikage!" Izuku choked out of shock and elation, embracing his old friends. "How are you here?!"

"Toru called us," Todoroki explained, shamelessly embracing him like he had truly missed him. He did not deserve such friends. "She told us how to find you."

"You look like you have gazed into the abyss one too many times, Izuku," Tokoyami remarked, looking at him with concern. "Are you doing alright?"

Izuku sighed, letting Todoroki go. "As much as I can be in these circumstances, I suppose. I'm much better now. Being here is helping."

"If this is how you look when you feel better, than I don't think I want to know how you look on your bad days," Shoji told him.

"Izuku's been having a really hard time," Toru said softly.

He snorted. "Not as much as the people I 'train' on," he remarked darkly.

The others exchanged worried looks.

"How about we forget about that for now," Shouto offered. "We should do something fun together. We don't know when we'll be able to hang out again."

That was a good point. Their time was too short for Izuku to spent time on brooding. His guilt was his burned to carry - he did not need to put in on his friends.

(But the joke was on him, they carried it with him whether he liked it or not.)

* * *

The vacation had been a good idea. The best one they ever had, probably.

Too bad it was over after two weeks.

"Izuku, there is something really important we need to tell you before you go," Todoroki told him when they were about to leave.

"What is it Shouto?"

Izuku's head was suddenly held in a firm grasp, heterochromic eyes staring directly into his.

"Never forget," he stated strongly. "You are Number One hero Deku. You are our friend. And we love you."

It was so simple. And in the past, he would have taken the words without reservation. But now...

"I'm not," he said shakily. "I'm a villain now. I hurt people."

"You are still a hero, and you always will be. Do you not record the name of every person All For One kills to apologize to their families someday?"

"Toru told you?"

"Of course she did. We know you feel guilty, Izuku, and I can't tell you that it's alright, because we both know it isn't. But just because you are in this position right now, doesn't mean it's going to be forever. One day we will bring All For One down. And on that day, none of us will blame or resent you. You have my word."

A couple tears slid down his cheeks. Shouto gently wiped them away.

"Whatever happens, we'll forgive you. We already have."

And they embraced him in a group hug.

(Izuku was a terrible person and he did not deserve his friends. But for that short moment, he was okay with it.)

* * *

"Toru?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For telling them."

"...You're welcome, Izuku."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **T.B.C. in part 2/3.**

 **I suddenly came up with this random idea of Izuku impersonating Shigaraki to get All For One, and Hagakure being with him without anyone knowing. Guess I couldn't get it out of my head.**

 **But, because I don't know when the next chapter will come out, here's a preview for you guys:**

* * *

"Hell no, we are **NOT** recruiting Stain!" Izuku burst out at Kurogiri's suggestion.

The fog villain was confused. "Why not, master Tomura? He could be an asset to us."

"If you think that, then clearly you hadn't been paying attention," Izuku said, honestly irritated at the other's denseness. "Who is the only person Stain recognizes as a _true hero_?"

Kurogiri reluctantly replied: "...All Might."

"And _who_ Sensei and I are trying to destroy?"

"...also All Might."

"There, you see? Conflict of interests. You are not bringing that vigilante wannabe to our **secret hideout** , Kurogiri, and that's final."

The other turned back to his bar, grumbling.

"Honestly," Izuku muttered to himself. "Even Shigaraki wouldn't have been this stupid."

* * *

 **So, what do you guys think? Please let me know in the comments, add follow and favorite if you can, but most importantly - read on and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **UPDATE!**

 **So, the manga released more backstories and _a lot_ of info about the future conflict, so even though I've started writing this AU before the Re-Destro arc came out (I was waaay off with my Shigaraki headcannon it seems), I'll try to use most of it. I'll include a note on what's different from cannon in this AU, because I didn't want to re-write all of it, but turns out I was more correct in my prections than I expected, so... yay for me! :D**

 **Beware _SPOILERS_ though, because in the next chapter, I shall have no mercy! Be ****cautious if you're an anime-only fan.**

 **Also, although I originally planned this as a 2-parter story, this will definitely be at least a 3-parter. Sorry for the change of plans, but on the bright side, it means there will be more content. I hope you'll enjoy it, see you later!**


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